While it was warm in Independence and at other lower
elevations, in Elk Garden at approximately 4000’, and with 30 mph winds
rearranging our hair and expressions, it almost seemed like winter still had a
grip.But we were here for ephemeral
wildflowers…those that get the business of propagating accomplished before the
forest canopy sucks away the sunlight’s energy…and we were in the right place.

This field trip was a collaborative effort among the Mount
Rogers Appalachian Trail Club, Blue Ridge Discovery Center, and Doris Halsey’s
art students from Grayson County High School.Carol Broderson, who also serves as a substitute teacher for the Grayson
County Schools, is an active member of the MRATC and avid hiker.

Through her connection with the Appalachian
Trail Conservancy as well as a volunteer for BRDC, she initiated this field
trip.Eleanor Grasselli, also with the
MRATC, and Cecelia Mathis, BRDC volunteer and wildflower enthusiast, offered
professional back-up guide support.

We had seven students and Ms. Halsey as artists in the
moment.The bus arrived at 9:something,
and we quickly moved out of the wind into the woods to begin our studies.Aaron Floyd served as our director through
Blue Ridge Illustrated, a funded BRDC program.Each student was assigned a species or two, and given the opportunity to
find that flower in one of the many field guides on hand.We used both the Latin and common names, and
instructed the students to write down enough descriptive information on their
field cards to assist them in discovering the living forms along the
trail.Which they did.

Finding the best example of their target species for
sketching purposes was the next step.Then the drawing tablets and pencils came out, with each kid finding
their comfort zone and settling down to capture the basic details of their
flower.

While the students were
sketching, several guides took photos and/or encouraged the kids to do so with
shared cameras.Pictures taken from the
same perspective as that of the artist will be utilized for further in-class
studio follow-up.Cecelia, Scott and
Aaron were all involved in this process.

During lunch, out of the wind and exploiting the solar
advantages of the bus, we shared our morning’s work, ate ramps, and talked
about the studio follow-up strategies for creating a valuable poster or other
type of publication.Aaron carefully
explained the value of contrast when illustrating wild flowers, starting with a
basic outline or silhouette, and moving into detail afterwards.

After lunch we had an hour to return to the field, take a
longer look at our flowers, and work a bit harder on securing the best photos
for further documentation purposes.We
also talked about other BRDC sponsored programs and events that might interest this
enthusiastic group.

The target species list, derived from the combined expertise
and explorations of Carol, Eleanor, and Cecelia appears below: